Toffee Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Fans of the Girl Scout’s Do-si-do cookies, also known as Peanut Butter Sandwiches, will notice some similarities between them and these Toffee Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies. They look similar and both have a great peanut butter flavor to them. The signature element of those cookies is their light, crisp texture. These are chewier, making them a little more substantial, and I think they have an even better peanut butter flavor.

These peanut butter cookies have two ingredients that set them apart from your average peanut butter cookie: oatmeal and toffee. A little bit of quick cooking oatmeal in the cookie dough helps these cookies to bake up to be slightly thinner than your average peanut butter cookie, as well as a bit more tender. It also gives them a little bit of extra flavor. The toffee contributes a lot of flavor as well. Because it is finely chopped before being incorporated, it really almost melts into the cookies. When fresh from the oven, these cookies are tender and crisp around the edges, with a chewy center.

I sandwiched the cookies together with creamy peanut butter. The end result is a great combination of salty and sweet. That said, I must admit that the cookies are good on their own even without the filling!

These cookies are done when their edges start to turn golden brown. It may be tempting to overbake these cookies because they will look a little bit pale in the center when they’re golden on the edge, but overbaking them will only take away their chewiness.

Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oatmeal, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light. Beat in egg and vanilla until smooth, followed by crunchy peanut butter. With the mixer on low speed or working by hand, gradually blend in the flour mixture, then stir in the toffee bits. Drop scant 1-inch balls onto prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 9-11 minutes, until edges are golden. Cool on baking sheet for 3-4 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
When cookies are cooled, sandwich each pair with 2-3 tsp smooth peanut butter.

I made a double batch — some for here, some to mail to my son and some to mail to his girlfriend still in college — and I found some single serving cups of peanut butter that have just 1.25 oz that I’ll send along with the cookies. They can do the sandwiching and then I think the cookies will stay more crisp in the mail.

I’m going to see if I can make some sort of traveling package of Henry’s chocolate peanut butter to send along with the cookies too. A little DIY love from home. ;>

Of the people I made them for my husband liked them nekkid, my daughter thought they were the bomb sandwiched with peanut butter and my son thought they were best sandwiched with the chocolate peanut butter.